Midnight Fae Academy: Book Two: A Why Choose Paranormal Vampire Romance Read online

  Contents

  About Book Two

  Prologue

  1. Kols

  2. Aflora

  3. Shade

  4. Aflora

  5. Shade

  6. Zeph

  7. Aflora

  8. Kols

  9. Aflora

  10. Zeph

  11. Aflora

  12. Zeph

  13. Kols

  14. Aflora

  15. Aflora

  16. Zeph

  17. Kols

  18. Aflora

  19. Aflora

  20. Shade

  21. Aflora

  22. Shade

  23. Aflora

  24. Zeph

  25. Aflora

  26. Kols

  27. Zeph

  28. Shade

  29. Aflora

  30. Aflora

  31. Kols

  32. Aflora

  33. Aflora

  Epilogue

  Midnight Fae Academy: Book Three

  Ella’s Masquerade

  Fortune Fae Academy

  Elemental Fae Academy

  Acknowledgments

  About Lexi C. Foss

  Also by Lexi C. Foss

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Midnight Fae Academy: Book Two

  Copyright © 2020 Lexi C. Foss

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book may not be redistributed to others for commercial or noncommercial purposes.

  Editing by: Outthink Editing, LLC

  Proofreading by: Katie Schmahl, Jean Bachen, & Julie Robertson

  Cover Design: Lori Grundy, Cover Reveal Designs

  Interior Designs: CyberWitch Press & Cover Reveal Designs

  Published by: Ninja Newt Publishing, LLC

  Digital Edition

  ISBN: 978-1-950694-48-8

  Created with Vellum

  To Jen, for introducing me to the wonderful world of reverse harem, thereby allowing me to create Shade, Kols, Zeph… and that other guy. ;)

  I’m in purgatory.

  Hell.

  A Midnight Fae dungeon.

  All because my mates betrayed me.

  Shade swears he’s innocent.

  Zeph promises that what he did was for my own best interest.

  Meanwhile, Kols isn’t apologetic in the slightest, his cocky arrogance claiming fate intervened at just the right moment.

  I hate them all.

  Crave them, too.

  And now I have to work with them to solve a millennium-old secret, one that involves my true heritage.

  Except our digging has awoken an ancient power and it’s threatening to destroy the Midnight Fae realm with its vengeance.

  If only the Academy offered courses in mediation.

  I could use one of those right about now.

  Because as it turns out, I’m the only one with the power to stop this thing from taking over.

  And I have to rely on my mates to help guide me.

  Welcome to Midnight Fae Academy, where the classes are useless and the male fae are all jackholes. Wish me luck.

  Author’s Note: This is a dark paranormal “why choose” trilogy with bully romance (enemies-to-lovers) elements. Despite Aflora’s opinions on the matter, there will definitely be biting. Shadow, a.k.a. Shade, guarantees it. This book ends on a cliffhanger.

  Earth Fae reside in a world of peace and flowers. We value life. We encourage growth. We adore vitality and prosperity.

  That was the world I grew up in—a universe warmed by the sun and caressed by love.

  Now I’m trapped in the darkness, fighting for my existence among a horde of treacherous Midnight Fae. Trust does not exist here. Hearts are often broken. And mate bonds mean nothing to the male fae who reside in this realm.

  Those are the lessons I’ve learned these last few months during my captivity in the Midnight Fae realm.

  They promised to teach me how to control my growing dark powers.

  They promised to keep me safe.

  I naively started to believe them.

  Then they lied.

  The cold black stone beneath my bare feet is evidence of their betrayal.

  The looming cell with iron bars and a cold-faced gargoyle define my fate.

  But I won’t take this lying down.

  If it’s a fight they want, I’ll give them one. I’m not going down alone. I refuse. They got me into this mess. It’s only fair to invite them to the party of chaos.

  I’ll bite my tongue.

  Bide my time.

  And destroy them just like they destroyed me.

  The jail door clinks shut while two of my mates watch with merciless expressions. I don’t bother meeting their cold gazes. I already know what I’ll find—unapologetic righteousness.

  In the end, I’ll burn those smug grins right off their faces.

  I’m no longer the meek little Earth Fae they held captive here before.

  Now I understand their rules.

  And as soon as I free myself from the magic of these bindings, we’ll play.

  Prepare to bow to the queen, boys. I’m coming for you.

  Chapter One

  Kols

  Aflora refused to look at me.

  Not that I could blame her.

  She thought I’d betrayed her.

  That knowledge hurt me almost as much as her resulting shiver to the dungeon air. Shade’s shirt and boxers did little to keep her warm, but it was more than her lack of proper clothes. It was her soul reacting to the wrongness of her surroundings.

  Elemental Fae weren’t meant to stay underground for long periods of time. It’d only been a few minutes since our descent, but I caught the unease radiating from her shoulders. It rivaled my own, because I had no idea what to expect. The news of her trial arrived first thing this morning, and the Council was set to meet within the hour to discuss her fate.

  I had no clue what this supposed recording revealed. Hell, I could be facing my own execution, for all I knew. But I doubted it. Otherwise, I’d be in chains right next to Aflora.

  Which meant there was still hope.

  It all depended on what Shade had told the Council.

  I rubbed a hand over my face as the iron bars locked behind Aflora, the gargoyle overhead watching her with severe distaste. “Don’t harm her,” I told the stone creature. “She’s still a guest until the Council deems otherwise.”

  Aflora snorted before settling on a stone bench, her eyes continuing to avoid mine.

  There were things I wanted to say but couldn’t with our surrounding audience. So I merely said, “Someone will return should a test of your abilities be required for the trial. Otherwise, you will be notified when the Council reaches a decision.”

  I met Zeph’s gaze as I turned, his green orbs giving nothing away. We’d discuss this more once we were away from all the surveillance cameras and lost our two Warrior Blood guards.

  Aflora didn’t reply or acknowledge my comments, her stature prim and proper as we left her alone in her cell.

  Too bad I couldn’t force her into a temporary dream to communicate with her, but we didn’t h
ave time for that. So instead, I walked with purpose up the stairs, past the Council Chambers, and into a corridor that led to a room where I could speak with Zeph in private.

  The pair of Warrior Blood guards remained at the dungeon entrance, their job to ensure Aflora didn’t escape. That alone told me the Council had no idea how powerful she was. If they did, they’d put a lot more than two fae on watch.

  Zeph closed the door behind us, his first comment a string of curses that ended in Shade’s name. “Did they let you hear the rest of the recording?”

  I shook my head. “Only the bit you overheard with her calling for her own extermination.” I ran a hand over my face once, fatigue weighing down my shoulders. “We need a backup plan. Because if this goes south…” I trailed off, not wanting to finish that statement out loud.

  “Breaking her out won’t be hard. Those two nitwits on the stairs will go down in a single spell. But we’ll need to alter the security footage.”

  Yeah, we were on the same page. I’d already begun to think about whom I could bribe to clear the tapes. “Where will we hide her?”

  “That’s the part I haven’t figured out. We can’t trust anyone. Not even her Elemental Fae.”

  True. If they learned about her growing power, they’d have no choice but to end her life. “Fucking Shade,” I muttered, livid all over again. “What the hell was he thinking? He has to know this is going to bite him in the ass, too.”

  “Maybe that’s what he wants.” Zeph scratched the dark stubble dotting his jaw. “His motives all seem to revolve around creating chaos. If the Council finds out what happened last night—”

  The door opened to reveal my father on the other side, his expression one of relief. “Oh, good, you’re already here.” He joined us without asking, his gold eyes narrowing at Zeph just enough to indicate he still wasn’t pleased with the Warrior Blood, before fixating on me. “Is the recording true? Is her power growing out of control?”

  “I haven’t heard it all yet to comment,” I answered carefully.

  Disapproval radiated from my father. “You’ve spent the last few months supervising her. Surely you can make an assessment regarding her power.”

  “Yes. From what I’ve observed, her power level remains the same as the first day she arrived.” Not exactly a lie. She was born with Quandary Blood abilities; she just hadn’t used them much until her forced enrollment at Midnight Fae Academy. And last night, she sort of exploded because of that contained power.

  So, yeah, she was losing control. But the quad-bond mating ritual we’d performed as a result of her outburst should help ground her. Maybe.

  Which opened a whole new realm of consequences.

  We’d solve those problems another day.

  One issue at a time.

  The first one being to free Aflora from the dungeon.

  “Then why is she claiming a need to be exterminated?” my father challenged.

  I considered his query and quickly formulated a safe reply. “From what little I’ve heard of the recording, it was a hypothetical statement—if she proves too powerful, she needs to be removed. Aflora feels very strongly about protecting her Earth Fae.”

  My father studied me for a long moment, his gaze narrowing. “So what caused the inferno in her room at the Elite Residence on campus?”

  Fucking gargoyle, I seethed. My brother, Tray, wouldn’t report the incident. Neither would his mate, Ella. Which left the damn stone guardian at the front door. “That was my fault. I had a little too much aggression after my duel with Shade and released it inappropriately. I’ll repair the quarters myself.” By using magic, of course.

  The tick in my father’s jaw suggested that he suspected I wasn’t providing the whole truth, but he eventually conceded with a stiff nod. “The Earth Fae is your ascension trial. I trust you to see it through appropriately.”

  “And I am,” I promised him. I just wasn’t doing it the way he’d originally intended. What with accidentally mating the girl during sex and biting her soon after to initiate the Midnight Fae bond.

  My father left without another word, never once acknowledging Zeph other than that initial glance. Normally, it would irritate me. Today, I had other, more important matters to address.

  “He knows you’re lying,” Zeph said before I could speak. “But I don’t think there’s anything incriminating on the tapes, or he’d be angry, not just disappointed.”

  A fair assessment. If there was anything about the quad-bond on the recording, my father would have reacted differently. Such as throwing my ass in the dungeon and Zeph into an execution chamber. “Whatever it is, it had to be enough to call an emergency meeting and require her detainment.”

  “That wouldn’t be hard. The Council often overreacts.”

  I snorted. “You would say that.”

  “Just as you wouldn’t,” he returned, his tone lacking his usual teasing disdain. He seemed as tired as I was. Likely because we both didn’t do much sleeping last night, having enjoyed the new connection with Aflora a little too much.

  Palming the back of my neck, I blew out a long breath and looked at the ceiling. “She thinks we betrayed her, Zeph.”

  “She’ll get over it.” He clearly didn’t share my concern. “Go prepare for the Council meeting. If the findings are dire and she’s truly in jeopardy, text me a note about possibly missing a few classes this week. If she’s fine, let me know when you’ll be back on campus. I’ll react accordingly.”

  I bobbed my head in agreement. “Okay. And if you see Shade before I do, punch him in the face for me.”

  Zeph grunted, his green eyes blazing with vengeful power. “If I see him first, there won’t be much left of his face for you to hit.”

  “Good.” Because the fucker deserved a beatdown for whatever game he’d engaged us all in now.

  I just hoped Aflora wouldn’t pay the ultimate price for his newest diversion.

  Chapter Two

  Aflora

  “I don’t suppose you can fetch me a glass of water?” I asked the gargoyle.

  He snorted in reply.

  “I didn’t think so,” I murmured, sighing as I relaxed into the stone wall at my back.

  This place was hell. My own personal purgatory. Earth Fae didn’t belong underground. Not that it mattered. I couldn’t access my source with this choker around my neck anyway.

  Closing my eyes, I returned to my task of trying to unlock it with my mind. The magic caressing my skin itched at my conscious, the cloaking mechanism one that seemed to warm the bonds emanating from my heart.

  I tugged on one of them, and a familiar woodsy scent touched my nose. Zeph.

  Yanking on the other strand filled my essence with rich spice and power. Kols.

  And the final cord released a wave of peppermint, the refreshing taste one craves first thing in the morning. Shade.

  I frowned. Why is the collar connected to them? To hide our links?

  That would explain Zeph’s haste this morning in forcing the contraption on me. He wanted to guarantee no one would find out about our bonds.

  “I need you to put this on, and we need to run. Now.”

  His words replayed in my head, causing me to scowl even harder than before. I’d stupidly believed he wanted to help me. Had thought he might even care about my welfare.

  But those jackholes only cared about themselves.

  Hence my current predicament.

  Ignoring my anger, I refocused on the enchantment circling my skin and plucked at some of the other magical strings. They all seemed to be suffocating my powers, which explained the tingling sensation rioting through my spirit. It was a miracle in itself that I could access enough of my essence to investigate the spells on the collar. Undoing them would be another task entirely.

  “Ah, there you are.” Shade’s voice warmed my face, his hands soon following as he materialized in front of me.

  I jumped to my feet, my fists ready to meet his face, when he grabbed my wrists with ease and
backed me into the wall. The gargoyle didn’t seem to care at all, his beady red eyes focused on a space over my head instead of on the Midnight Fae forcing a thigh between mine.

  “The Council is about to convene. Do you have any special requests on how I should address them on your behalf?” he asked, his ice-blue eyes capturing and holding mine.

  I spat at him rather than reply.

  Like I’d trust him to speak on my behalf.

  Willow stump, I thought, furious.

  His eyebrow inched upward as he released one of my wrists to wipe the spittle away from his face. I used the opportunity to try to shove him away, but he caught my wrist again with ease, holding both above my head beneath one of his palms.

  “Are you asking me to spit on them, Aflora?” He cocked his head in an almost playful manner. “Because I’m pretty sure that won’t go over well.”

  “Go to hell,” I told him.

  “Already there, baby,” he replied.

  Holy Elements, I hated this male. He’d bitten me against my will, trapped me in this world, nearly convinced me to somewhat trust him, and had me thrown into a jail cell again. “Did you record everything last night?” I asked him, my lip curling into a snarl. “Including the part about our qua—”

  His mouth caught mine, his tongue pushing inside before I could think to respond. Fury boiled inside me, my reaction coming a second later in the form of a bite that caused his blood to spill over our lips.